/ ˈbɪlɪt; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
a place, often in a private house, where soldiers live temporarily
■ verb
[ v + adv. / prep. ] [ usually passive ] to send soldiers to live somewhere temporarily, especially in private houses during a war
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English (originally denoting a short written document): from Anglo-Norman French billette , diminutive of bille , probably based on medieval Latin bulla seal, sealed document. The verb is recorded in the late 16th cent., and the noun sense, a written order requiring a householder to lodge the bearer, usually a soldier , from the mid 17th cent.; hence the current meaning.